Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Carrie Yau is leading a delegation to Qingdao to meet the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad's sailing committee.

Both Qingdao and Hong Kong will serve as Olympic cities, so they will describe their experiences in preparing for the games next summer.

Mrs Yau had just attended a BOCOG meeting in Beijing and had accepted the International Olympic Committee's commendations on the "Good Luck Beijing - HKSAR 10th Anniversary Cup" eventing competition held in Hong Kong recently.

Hong Kong will step up decorations throughout the city and have more district activities to build excitment as the games approach, she said.

"Being a co-host of an Olympic event is an unparalleled opportunity for Hong Kong. We should make use of this opportunity to further showcase to the rest of the world the vitality, economy, culture and life in Hong Kong to attract overseas tourists or investments," Mrs Yau said.

She noted Qingdao - which will host the Olympics sailing regatta -has put in tremendous efforts to promote the city, including a city branding campaign, 'Meeting at Olympics, Sailing in Qingdao'.

Hong Kong must satisfy BOCOG requirements centred on transportation, air quality, security and promotion, she said. During the games, there may be special transport arrangements which cause inconvenience, and she asked the community to be patient.

Although Beijing had adopted road-closure measures that reduced by about 1 million the number of cars on the roads, local residents were supportive, she said.

Hong Kong's young people stood to benefit from the city's participation in the games, she said. They had achieved good results in sailing test events in Qingdao, and Mrs Yau said she would take the opportunity to study how to encourage more young people to participate in sports.